Traffic signal



P. SKANSE.

TRAFFIC SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED nEc.12,1921.

Patented Oct 3, 1922.

Patented 3, 19.22.

H hurra s rarss PETER SKANSE, 0E MINNEAPOLIS, MmNESO'I'A.

TRAFFIC SIGNAL.

Applicationfiled December 12, 195 21. Serial No. 521,685.

. To all'whom it may concern: A

Be it-known that 1, PETER SKANSE, a c itlaen of the United States, res ding at Minneapolis, in the county, of Hennepin and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTraiiic Signals; and 1 do hereby. declarethe following to be a full, clear, and enact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. p, s

My inventionrelates to traffic signals and,

more particularly, to such signalsapplied to vehicles, and has for its ob ect to.prov1de an extremely simple'and highly eiiioient trafic signal that is easyto operate, and wh le IILtBIIClQCl for use in connectlon with all kinds of vehicles, it is especially adapted for use with vehicles having closed bodies or To the above end, generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described'and defined in the claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a closed automobile having the invention applied thereto and with the semaphore arm indicated in an inoperative position by means of broken lines, and in an operative position by means of full lines;

Fig. 2 is a view partly in elevation and partly in horizontal section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, with the semaphore arm adjusted to an inoperative position;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the invention removed from the automobile and showing the same in an inoperative position by means of broken lines, and in an operative position by means of full lines; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the lock late. p The numeral 5 indicates the front left hand post of the body 6 of a closed automobile. The improved trafiic signal includes, as shown, a flat semaphore arm 7 rigidly secured to one end of a horizontal shaft 8 by a pair of opposing nuts 9. This shaft 8 extends longitudinally in respect to the automobile and is rotatably mounted in a bearing formed in the post 5 and supports the semaphore arm 7 just in front of the post 5 for swingingmovement from a depending inoperative position, as shown by broken lines in Figs. 1 and 3 and full lines in Fig. 2, to an outstanding horizontal position in which: it projects transversely of the automobile, as shown iIrFigs. 1 and 2 by .fulllines. i

On the inner face of the post 5 is a lock platellO, secured by screwsll and in the form of a disk having an axial bore through which the shaft 8 extends, and which look ,plate also affords a bearing for said-shaft.

The inner end portion of the shaft 8 is bent, laterally to afford an operating handle 12, the outer end portion of which is folded uponitself and spaced thereapart, in the plane of the shaft 8, ,to aiford a'yielding lock arm 13. The outer end of the lock arm 13 is arranged to enter, by a spring action, either one of the two radially disposed locknotches 1 1, which extend at right angles to each other, and thereby yieldingly hold the semaphore arm in a depending inoperative position or a horizontal operatlve posltlon.

At its free endportion, the lock arm 13 is bent laterally into parallel arrangement with the shaft Sand: then again bent laterally into parallel arrangement with the operating handle 12, but spaced apart therefrom, to afford a releasing arm 15 for said lock arm. By drawing the releasing arm 15 toward the operating handle 12, the lock arm 13 may be sprung out of the engaged lock notch 1a to release the shaft 8 and thereby permit the same to be turned by the operating handle 12 to swing the semaphore arm 7 from an inoperative position to an operative position, and vice versa.

The semaphore arm 7 is tapered toward its free end to increase the width thereof and thereby make the same more conspicnous.

a supplemental section 16 pivoted to the back of the semaphore arm 7 and gravityheld in an upright position by locating its pivot ofi' center. When the semaphore arm tion extends transversely thereof, as shown by full lines in Fig. 1.

To operate the semaphore arm 7 it is only necessary to take hold of the handle 12 and, at the same time, grasp the releasing arm 15 and draw the same toward the handle 12,110

to spring said arm out of the engaged lock notch 14. Then, by turning the handle To further make the semaphore arm 95 7 more attractive, the same is provided with "18 engages the lock plate 10.

The above described invention, while ex.

tremely simple and of comparatively small cost to manufacture, can be very quickly ap lied to an automobile.

hat I claim is 1. The combination with a shaft and a bearing element applicable to a car body, of

a semaphore arm attached to one end of the shaft, the other end of the shaft being bent laterally to afford an operating handle, said operating handle being folded upon itself to afford a yielding lock arm arranged to engage the bearing element and hold the semaphore arm where set, said shaft, semaphore arm and handle being connected for common turning movement.

2. The combination with a shaft and a bearing element applicable to'a car body, of a semaphore arm attached to one end of the shaft, the other end of the shaft being bent laterally to afford an operating handle, said operating handle being folded upon itself to afi'ordva yielding lock arm arranged to engage the bearing element and hold the semaphore arm where set, said lock arm being folded between itself and the operating handle to afford a releasing arm for the lock arm, said shaft, semaphore arm and handle being connected for common turning movement.

3. The combination with an endwise movable shaft and a bearing element applicable to a car body, of a semaphore arm attached to one end of the shaft, the other end of the'sha'ft being bent laterally to afford an operating handle, said operating handle being folded upon itself to afford a yielding lock arm arranged to engage the bearin element and hold the semaphore arm w ere set, said lock arm being folded between itself and the operating handle to afford a releasing arm for the lock arm, said shaft, semaphore arm and handle being con nected for common turning movement.

4. The combination with a shaft and a lock plateapplicable to a car body, said lock plate having circumferentially spaced lock notches, of a semaphore arm attached to one end of the shaft, the other end of the shaft being bent laterally to afford an operating handle, said operating handle being folded upon itself to afford a yielding lock arm adapted to enter said lock notches and hold the semaphore arm in different set positions, said shaft, semaphore arm and handle being connected for common turning movement.

In testimony'whereof I affix my signature.

PETER SKANSE. 

